lititzbmx-docs
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Archive record
Exhibit: BMX in Media → Movies → E.T.
Page role: series landing / movie context
Original URL
Canonical page transcription
Release date line
Original Release Date: June 11, 1982
Poster caption
“In His Adventures on Earth”?
Movie summary
In a serene forest overlooking a suburban development, an alien spacecraft lands to gather specimens, but one creature is accidentally left behind. A ten-year-old boy named Elliot discovers the stranded alien in his backyard shed and lures him into the house using Reese’s Pieces. Elliot eventually introduces the creature, whom they name E.T., to his older brother Michael and younger sister Gertie, and they vow to keep him a secret from their mother, who is struggling following a recent divorce.
The children soon discover that E.T. possesses extraordinary abilities, including levitation and the power to heal living things. As E.T. constructs a makeshift communication device to “phone home,” he develops a telepathic mental connection with Elliot, which leads to a chaotic incident at school where Elliot releases frogs intended for dissection.
Tensions peak when E.T. falls critically ill, his health declining alongside Elliot’s due to their bond. Government agents, led by a mysterious man known as “Keys,” invade the house to set up a medical quarantine. After E.T. appears to succumb to his illness and die, Elliot realizes his friend is still alive when he notices wilting flowers suddenly springing back to life.
In a climactic escape, Michael and Elliot hijack a medical van and meet their friends to transport E.T. back to the forest on bicycles. Pursued by agents, E.T. uses his powers to make the boys’ bicycles fly over their pursuers and toward the landing site. The story concludes with a poignant farewell as E.T.’s ship arrives; he tells Elliot “he’ll be right here” while pointing to his heart before departing and leaving a rainbow across the sky.
BMX prompt
- How is it BMX related?
- Just look at the moon above. What do you see? What memories does it invoke?
- – Learn More Below –
Section title
The Untold Story of BMX in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Section text
In the summer of 1982, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial became a defining moment for a generation, eventually surpassing Star Wars to become the highest-grossing film of all time. While the alien was the star, the BMX bikes and the local riders who rode them became icons of childhood adventure and empowerment.
The legendary connection between the film and Kuwahara bicycles began when Steven Spielberg asked his young niece or nephew what bike they wanted to see in his new project, then titled A Boy’s Life. The answer was “Kuwahara.”
The production team tracked down Everything Bicycles, the California distributor for the brand. Robert Cardoza, a 19-year-old racer working at the shop, was tasked with preparing the bikes. On an incredibly tight deadline, he had to strip 20 bikes down to their frames, have them custom-painted, and reassemble them all within just two days.
Subsections
Impressing Spielberg
When the stunt team first saw the storyboards for the flying scenes, they were skeptical that the moves could actually be performed. To prove the capabilities of BMX, Cardoza performed a series of jumps at Culver Studios, eventually shocking the director by jumping his bike over Steven Spielberg’s own car.
To fill out the rest of the “Lost Boys” stunt team, producers visited the local Ascot BMX track on a Wednesday night. Out of 500 kids, they hand-selected a team of local racers to perform the iconic chase scenes.
The “Lost Boys” Stunt Team
The core group of riders who defined the film’s most exhilarating moments included:
- Bob Haro: The founder of Haro Bicycles and the “father of modern freestyle BMX.”
- Robert Cardoza: The stunt double for the character Greg.
- David Lee: Cardoza’s best friend and a local racer.
- Chris Taylor: A local rider recruited from the Ascot track.
Life on Set: The “Aluminum Duck”
Despite being part of movie history, the riders had very little idea how big the film would become. For most of the “flying” shots, they didn’t even see the actual alien puppet. Instead, their bicycle baskets contained a weighted aluminum “duck” wrapped in a white blanket to simulate E.T.’s weight. At the time, the riders jokingly called the concept “hokey,” never imagining it would become one of the most iconic images in cinema history.
Legacy and Recognition
Because the riders were not part of the union at the time, their names were originally left out of the film’s credits. However, after the movie became a global blockbuster, Steven Spielberg took out a full-page ad in the Hollywood Reporter to personally thank each rider by name. Their performance didn’t just help a little alien get home—it inspired an entire generation of kids to get on their bikes and dream bigger.
Visible media inventory
- Image: E.T. theatrical poster / moon bicycle silhouette.
Published navigation labels
- No navigation labels were recorded in the supplied capture.
Preservation notes
- Published claims are preserved as page content and are not silently converted into independently verified findings.
- The page spells the boy’s name ‘Elliot’ throughout the visible text.
Complete series sequence
- E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial — this landing record
- The Kuwahara E.T. - The Original
- The Kuwahara E.T. - Early Model Differences - Factory Specs & Components
- The Kuwahara E.T. - Early Model Differences - Facts
- The Kuwahara E.T. - Early Model Differences - Notes
- The Kuwahara E.T. - The First Replica
- The Kuwahara E.T. - 2002 Replica (20th Anniversary)
- The Kuwahara E.T. - 2012 Replica (30th Anniversary)
- The Kuwahara E.T. - 2022 Replica (40th Anniversary)
- Hedstrom E.T. BMX
Capture metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Original supplied filename | 2026-07-25_19-55-52.png |
| Stable source file | source/page.png |
| SHA-256 | 1301b8c3c1606183894341a4f0b15faed33d344e6a1be45cb0447f54ab14fcfd |
| Dimensions | 954 × 1677 px |
| Source status | Source complete |
| Capture treatment | Preserved unchanged |